Blood Roses
The 'Blood rose ' [ Rosaceae Sanguineus ] is a flower that can be found in Victubia. Description It looks very similar to an ordinary red tea rose, but blood roses have a dark red, almost black, stem that is coated with very thin and sharp prickles. They grow all through the year, and have a very strong metallic scent. The blood rose can only grow with the help of human or animal blood and can usually be found where there’s been bloodspill or any kind of death happening, serving as a grim reminder of previous events. Unlike a lot of it’s rose family siblings, the blood rose emits very small airborn seeds from the very center of the big red flowers. These seeds are only released when the flowers are full grown. If the seeds finds their way into blood, the seeds will take nutrition from the blood and root into the ground. While the flower grows because of the blood it still needs to root in the earth, which is why you rarely find these roses in the cities. If the seeds doesn’t come in contact with blood they will be dormant on the ground until it decomposes (after around two month). If the seeds make contact with blood, the blood rose will grow very fast. It can be a fullgrown flower after only a few days. Blood roses also have another way of spreading, and that is thanks to humans or animals making contact with it. The rose can release it’s sharp prickles if it makes contact with human or animal skin, much like a cactus. If the prickle is removed right away, nothing happens besides a temporary numbing feeling where it was stuck. If the prickle is left unattended connected to skin, it will behave like a mosquito and suck blood from it’s victim until it is filled up, removed or falls off somehow. It can sometimes be difficult to notice this procedure since the prickle has paralyzing properties and numbs the area where it’s stuck. If the prickle sucks enough blood it will release itself automatically and hopefully land on the ground where the prickle, just like the seeds, can root itself in the earth. This once again fails if the prickle doesn’t come in contact with earth, but instead lands on wooden floor or stone. Blood roses are not deadly, but they can make you slightly feverish and numb if you get pricked by them. The roses are sometimes used in potions, and especially potions with a paralyzing nature. Picking these flowers has to be done with great care as to not hurt yourself. Removal and Tradition To remove or kill a patch of blood roses you can remove them with tools, but you have to make sure you get the roots or the flower will grow back. The easiest way to get rid of the flowers is to burn the area. This is usually done by authorities as soon as a blood rose patch is found and reported. The burning of blood roses have become a ritual in some cases, as a symbol of rebirth and new beginnings for both the living and the dead. Most of the blood rose burnings takes place at the time of Midwinter, the Victubian winter celebrations, where blood roses are located in the area and burned during the first evening of Midwinter. This usually generates a big audience, especially in the big field now known as Agrona Plains where the Rebellion of Barr took place. The tragic battle made the field fill up with blood roses, that doesn’t seem to go away no matter how many times the field is burned. Trivia *This rose has sometimes been called ‘''Vampire rose''’ or ‘''Corpse rose''’ because of it’s dark nature. Category:Terms Category:Lore Category:Flora